In the field of tufting carpets, it has been known to tuft carpets having spaced rows of loop pile and cut pile tufts, including the formation of loop pile and cut pile tufts in the same longitudinal tuft rows of the carpet. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,224,434 and 5,706,744 disclose systems and methods for tufting loop pile tufts and cut pile tufts of yarns in the same longitudinal tuft rows formed in a backing material, using a multi-needle tufting machine having spaced rows of needles that cooperate with a series of loop pile loopers or cut pile hooks mounted along upstream and downstream sides, respectively, of the tufting machine.
Additionally, patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,347,151 and 7,438,007 disclose level cut loop hooks or loopers for tufting machines. Such level cut loop hooks or loopers typically include a hook body along which loops of yarns can be captured and thereafter cut by an associated reciprocating cutting blade forming cut pile tufts in the backing. The level cut loop hooks or loopers also generally include a slidable clip that can be moved into a position adjacent or in engagement with the front end of the hook body to block or otherwise prevent loops of yarns from being retained on the level cut loop hook or looper, for formation of loop pile tufts in the backing. Such clips typically have been engaged or driven by actuators such as hydraulic cylinders, with each clip being connected to an associated cylinder by connecting linkages and/or gates. As a result, however, the operation of such level cut loop hooks or loopers generally has been limited by the speed at which the cylinders can operate to extend and retract the clips. In addition, such conventional level cut loop hook or looper assemblies also generally require a compressor to provide air/fluid to the cylinders, substantially adding to the cost of operation of such assemblies, while the connecting linkages between the clips and their actuators can further add to the complexity of such level cut loop hook or looper assemblies and limit their operation.
Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for a level cut loop hook or looper and clip assembly that addresses the foregoing and other related and unrelated problems in the art.